In 2015, Tactics of Calvary Temple published an installment titled “Bad Dog,” raising serious questions about authority, obedience, and the treatment of those who questioned leadership within Calvary Temple. More than a decade later, as I revisit those words, I am reminded that these concerns are not merely historical. Through a recent recording I viewed involving The Sanctuary in Buffalo, New York, and through my own family’s painful experience in 2008, I am once again confronted with the importance of examining every teaching, every authority, and every counsel through the lens of Scripture. Join me as I revisit this Tactics installment, share my personal testimony, and consider what God's Word teaches about truth, freedom, and the authority of Jesus Christ.

As I began my 31-day journey through the Book of Proverbs on Becoming Still, I knew I wanted to revisit a Tactics piece written in June of 2015. What caught my attention was the Scripture used throughout that piece. Proverbs 1. The very chapter I was beginning to study today. The timing is remarkable. Proverbs 1 is a chapter about wisdom calling out, correction being offered, and the consequences of rejecting truth. It reminds us that God’s wisdom is not hidden, and those who walk in His light have nothing to fear from truth. But what happens when correction is rejected? What happens when transparency and accountability become uncomfortable? In this MCTTBC commentary, I examine Tactics’ “It’s Tragic” piece through the lens of Proverbs 1 and consider what Scripture teaches us about wisdom, truth, and walking in the light.

“I know fruit when I see it.” Those words sound confident — but do we really understand what biblical fruit is? Is fruit success? A polished image? Nice cars? Well-spoken members? A ministry that appears impressive from the outside? Jesus said, “Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them” (Matthew 7:20). Fruit is not measured by appearance, reputation, or the ability to defend a man. True fruit reveals what is being produced within: truth, righteousness, humility, repentance, and the character of Christ. So, when someone declares, “This is good fruit,” we must ask: What fruit are we actually looking at? Because if this is the fruit being celebrated, then the question remains: Come on, Bob... did someone really say that?

One statement from the pulpit at Calvary Temple has stayed with me for more than a decade: the idea that the ideal Christian mind is one "in neutral." That isn't biblical. It's dangerous. In today's commentary, I explain why God never asks His people to stop thinking—and why discouraging critical thinking is one of the defining characteristics of high-control religious groups. The same God who gave us faith also gave us a mind. He expects us to use both. #exposecalvarytemple